Getty Las Vegas Raiders RB Brandon Bolden.
For most of the 2022 season, the Las Vegas Raiders kept five running backs on the active roster, plus a fullback. Most teams don’t carry more than three. While the team had many running backs, Josh Jacobs and Ameer Abdullah got a large majority of the work.
Brandon Bolden was one of the few players the Raiders gave a multi-year contract to in free agency last offseason. He had spent eight years working under Josh McDaniels with the New England Patriots and was a logical fit in the offense. However, he only had 66 rushing yards on the season and 57 receiving yards. Abdullah had eaten up much of what was supposed to be Bolden’s role. He’s still under contract for next season but Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes the Raiders “must consider” cutting the veteran running back:
Bolden played just eight percent of the offensive snaps in 2022 and 60 percent of the special-team snaps. Now that McDaniels has installed his offense, there’s little reason to keep Bolden in the fold.
Las Vegas should have little trouble finding a special-team contributor on the open market, during the draft or in rookie free agency.
Cutting Bolden would save $2.2 million off the 2023 cap, which is a substantial amount given the minor role that he fills.
Bolden Has Family Ties to Raiders
Bolden may not have had much of an impact in 2022 but he has unique ties to the Raiders. Frank Pitts, Bolden’s grandfather, played with the team in 1974 under former head coach John Madden. Bolden even wore his grandfather’s No. 85 jersey when he signed his contract with the Raiders. Once he signed, he had a chance to talk about his grandfather’s impact on him.
“Last year in New England, I changed my number from 38 to 25 to honor my grandfather,” Bolden told Raiders.com in March of 2022. “This season, when I had an idea that I could possibly end up here and I talked to my family about it, my grandmother ran to the back and the first thing she did was, ‘Oh, you have to wear this shirt when you go up there and sign your contract.'”
He couldn’t hide his excitement over joining the Raiders.
“To be here and be part of this organization as he was, this is phenomenal for me,” Bolden said. “Just the history behind the team – that he’s part of the history – makes it even more important to me. I’m excited, I’m glad, I can’t even get the words out. I’m very excited to be in Black and Silver.”
New RB Brandon Bolden’s love for the Raiders runs in the family 🖤
His grandfather Frank Pitts played for the Silver and Black in 1974 and @BB_HulkSmash got to wear his jersey number today.
Raiders Could Embrace Youth at RB
Josh Jacobs led the NFL in rushing yards in 2022 but will be a free agent. The Raiders can’t afford to lose him so he’ll likely at least get hit with the franchise tag. Jacobs is just 24 years old so he should have several really good years left in the tank. Despite having a good running back on the roster, the Raiders drafted Zamir White and Brittain Brown in last year’s draft and kept them on the active roster for the entire season.
Las Vegas is clearly high on all three so there’s a strong chance the team embraces youth at running back next season.